Temperature responsive mechanism



Jan. 3, 1967 L. BODDY TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 8', 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 18021471 ,Za/

1. N E Q k Jan. 3, 1967 L. BODDY 3,29

TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 8, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 460714724 jazzy United States Patent Office 3,295,373 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 3,295 373 TEMPERATURE RESPGNSIVE MEQHANTSM Leonard Boddy, Ann Arbor, Mich, assignor to King- Seeley Thermos (30., Ann Arbor, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Original application Jan. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 250,468, new Patent No. 3,175,178, dated Mar. 23, 1965. Divided and this application .l'uly 17, 1964, Ser. No. 383,386 14 Claims. (Cl. 73362) This application is a division of application Serial No. 250,468, which was filed January 8, 1963, now Patent 3,175,178, as a continuation-in-part of application Serial No. 733,178, filed May 5, 1958, now abandoned.

This invention relates to temperature responsive devices.

An object of this invention is to improve temperature sensing devices by utilizing a plurality of resistance-type temperature sensing elements each in intimate heat transfer relation wi-th a metallic senser element which is in turn adapted to be placed in intimate heat transfer relation with a mass, such as air or a body, the temperature of which is to be sensed.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing object and other objects of the invention will be perceived from the following description of the embodiments of the invention when read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a temperature responsive device embodying certain of the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing several of the tip elements of the structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the elements which are mounted within the tip in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified temperature responsive probe embodying certain of the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified temperature responsive probe embodying certain of the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 6a is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the elements of the structure of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified temperature responsive probe embodying certain of the principles of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modified temperature responsive probe embodying certain of the principles of the present invention.

While the principles of the present invention are of general applicability, the invention has representatively been embodied in a probe adapted for insertion into meat, fowl or the like to permit the sensing of the internal temperature thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, the temperature responsive device comprises a tip 10 projecting from a tubular casing 12 which is provided at its rear end with a cap member 14. Member 14 includes a knob portion 16 which is intended to serve as a convenient means for grasping the assembly.

The tip 10, which is preferably manufactured from a solid piece of metal having high thermal conductivity characteristics such as copper or aluminum, includes a forward generally conoidal portion 18 external of the casing 12, a first reduced diameter portion 20 defining a shoulder 22, a second, further reduced diameter portion 24 defining shoulders 26 and 28 and establishing a pcripheral groove or recess, and a portion 30 having a diameter equal to that of portion 20.

The diameter of the portions 20 and 30 is substantially the same as the internal diameter of the tubular casing 12 so that an intimate engagement is established between those mating surfaces when the unit is fully assembled. The rear end of the portion 30 is chamfered, as at 32, to facilitate assembly of the tubular casing 12 to the tip 10.

Since the operation of the temperature sensing device can be impaired by the presence of water within the casing 12, means are provided for establishing a liquidtight seal between the tip 10 and the casing 12. The requirements for this seal are quite rigorous in view of the fact that the unit can be expected to be withdrawn from an article being cooked while at an elevated temperature, and immersed in water for washing. As will be discussed further hereinafter, such treatment tends to establish air pressure differentials tending to draw liquid within the casing.

In the disclosed sealing arrangement, a gasket 34 is placed circumferentially of the tip 10 and within the cavity or recess established by the reduced diameter portion 24 and the shoulders 26 and 28. After the tip 10 is inserted within the casing 12 to the point where the forward annular edge of the casing 12 is in abutment with the shoulder 22, the portion of the casing 12 which overlies the reduced diameter portion 24 of the tip 10 is crimped or otherwise depressed as at 36 to partially embed that portion of the casing 12 in the gasket 34. The resultant reduction in the volume occupied by the gasket serves to force the resilient gasket to conform to the shape of the cavity in which it lies.

It has been found to be desirable to employ for the gasket 34 a material which becomes sufiiciently plastic to lose its resiliency and to change its shape under applied forces at a temperature above the maximum operational temperature of the probe. Satisfactory gaskets have been formed of silicone rubber, such as that sold under the trademark Silastic, by Dow-Corning.

It has been found that the sealing capabilities of the gasket material can be enhanced if, after assembly of the tip 10 and the casing 12 and crimping of the casing, the assembled unit is subjected to a temperature of 500 degrees F. for a period of about two hours during which the gasket material reaches its thermoplastic range and flows, under the applied forces, into full conformity with the shape of the cavity in which it is located. With this treatment, it has been found that temperature sensing devices of the type shown in FIG. 1 can be raised to a temperature of 500 degrees F. and then immersed in water for a period of two hours without detectable leakage.

Since the tip 10 is disposed in intimate heat transfer relationship with the article the temperature of which is to be sensed, and since the tip 10 is formed of metal having high thermal conductivity, an accurate indication of the internal temperature of the mass can be obtained by sensing the temperature of the portion 30 of the tip 10. While, in accordance with the teachings of the above-identified applications, the temperature sensing element can be mounted in intimate heat transfer relationship with the rear face of the tip element, it has now been found that improved results can be achieved if the temperature sensing element is physically disposed within a cavity in the tip. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a suitable cavity is formed in the portion 30 of the tip by slotting the portion 30 transversely to a substantial depth, the resultant slot being defined by an end Wall 44 and by Walls 40 and 42 lying in substantial spaced parallelism with one another and in parallelism with the longitudinal axis of the tip 10.

The temperature sensing element, which is mounted within the cavity formed in tip 10, is preferably a thermistor disk 46 having a substantial negative temperature coefficient of resistance and having a thickness which is smaller than its diameter. Suitable such disks are readily available on the market. In the illustrated arrangement, the upper one of the two substantially parallel faces of the thermistor disk 46 is placed in abutment with the wall 40 of the cavity in the tip portion 30. Since that upper face serves as one electrical terminal of the temperature sensing element 46, and since the portion 30 of the tip 10 is employed as an element of the circuit including disk 46, a low electrical resistance junction should be formed between the upper surface of the disk 46 and the portion 30 and, similarly, since the lower face of the disk 46 serves as the other electrical terminal portion of the disk 46, good electrical conductivity should be established between that surface and the terminal 48 which is mounted in abutment therewith. To this end, both of the substantially parallel surfaces of the disk 46 may be provided with a thin plating or coating of a suitable metal such as silver.

An electrical insulator 50, representatively in the form of a circular disk, is positioned and retained in abutment with the lower surface of the terminal 48 while a spring washer 52 is trapped between the insulator 50 and the wall 42 bounding the cavity in the portion 30. The function of insulating element 50 is to prevent the establishment of an electrical short between the terminal 48 and the tip 10 through the spring washer 52 and it should, of course, be formed of material having the requisite electrical and mechanical characteristics as well as being capable of withstanding over a substantial period of time the temperatures to which the disclosed device is subjected. While other materials can be employed, a silicone impregnated glass fiber fabric has proved satisfactory.

The function of the spring washer 52 is to establish a force upon the thermistor disk 46 in a direction substantially perpendicular to its parallel faces and substantially perpendicular to the wall 40 in order to maintain the thermistor disk 46 in intimate heat transfer relationship with the tip 10. It is a significant feature of the present invention that the spring acts between the thermistor disk and a portion of the tip as opposed to acting between the thermistor disk and some remote anchoring surface within the device. The spring washer 52 should be designed to withstand the temperatures to which the device is subjected without yielding or reducing the forces which should be applied to the thermistor disk and a stainless steel spring washer was found to perform that function satisfactorily in a constructed embodiment of the invention.

The terminal 48 projects rearwardly of the cavity in the end portion 30 and is provided with a pair of clamping arms 54 which embrace the end of an electrical conductor 56. Wire 56, provided with insulation 58, extends rearwardly of and coaxially with the tubular member 12, extending through a central aperture in the cap member 14 and thence to a current measuring circuit. Since the measuring current is applied through the thermistor element which has a finite resistance, heat is developed in the thermistor the dissipation of which is retarded by the poor thermal conductivity characteristics of the thermistor material. An important characteristic of the subject construction is the intimate heat transfer relation which is established between the thermistor and the tip to improve the quenching of the thermistor.

It is necessary to electrically insulate the edge surface of the thermistor disk 46 and the edges of the terminal 48 from the tip 16. To this end, a thin sheet of insulating material is cut and formed, as best shown in FIG. 4, to have a base portion 66 and two projecting portions 62 and 64, the latter of which is provided with further tabs or projections 66 and 68. The resultant insulator element is disposed in part within the cavity in the tip portion 30, with the portion 60 abutting the end wall 44 of the cavity and with the insulator portions 62 and 64 serving to prevent shorting of the disk 46 or of the terminal 48 to the side walls of the casing 12. In the illustrated arrangement, the end of insulator portion 62 extends so as to overlie one of the clamping portions 54 of the terminal 48, while the tabs 66 and 68 are folded around the clamping portions 54 of that terminal. If desired, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, clips or wires 70 may be employed to secure the tabs 66 and 68 in place.

In addition to the knob portion 16, the cap member 14 is provided with a forwardly extending neck portion 72 having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the tubular casing 12. In the illustrated arrangement, after the neck portion 72 is inserted within the casing 12, a tab 74 at one point along the rear edge of the casing 12 is formed into a notch 76 formed in the neck portion 72 to retain those elements in position.

As before noted, one of the problems in units of this type is that the immersion of the unit in relatively cool water for washing at a time when it is at an elevated temperature produces contraction of the air Within the unit and hence establishes a pressure differential tending to draw water into the casing. It is primarily desired to prevent water coming in contact with the electrical elements including the thermistor disk 46. As noted, the gasket 34 has been found successfully to serve as a seal at the forward end of the casing. The prevention of water leakage from the end of the casing to the thermistor disk is accomplished 'both by interposing a seal between those portions and by reducing the magnitude of the air pressure differential which can occur. Both ends are attained by substantially entirely filling the cavity between the rear end of the tip 10 and the forward end of the neck 72 with a solid material closely conformed to the shape of the cavity which it fills. With this arrangement, the total volume of air within the casing is relatively small.

In the illustrate-d arrangement, this is accomplished by utilizing a foamable thermal insulating material 78 which is foamed in place so that it will occupy substantially the entire volume of the cavity and so that it will intimately engage and conform to the shape of the casing 12 to the shape of the insulation 58 on the conductor 56 and to the other elements in that cavity. In practice, it has been found that a foamed organopolysiloxane or silicone of the type sold under the trademark and designation R7001 Silicone Foam Powder by Dow-Corning has the requisite properties, including the capability of withstanding the temperatures to which the device is subjected. It will be observed that the filler material 78 also serves as a thermal insulator. One of the substantial advantages of the present construction is that the thermistor 46, the terminal 48, the insulator 50, the spring washer 52 and the insulator including portions 66-68 can be assembled to the tip 10 while it is as yet unassembled to the casing 12 so that those elements can be formed and tested as a subassembly and so that the prior problems of properly positioning the thermistor with relation to the tip after the tip was assembled to the casing can be avoided. This capability in the present arrangement accrues in large part from the absence of a silver soldering operation. Thus, in the assemblies illustrated in the above noted patents, the tip is secured to the casing by a silver soldering operation.

The present arrangement is an improvement thereover in that the unit does not have to be heated in an induction furnace whereby the ensuing processes of chemical cleaning, bufiing and surfacing the tip can be obviated.

As above stated, an important characteristic of the subject construction is the intimate heat transfer relation which is established between the thermistor and the tip to improve the quenching of the thermistor. The establishment of that relationship is particularly important when ceramic, negative temperature coefficient thermistor elements are employed as the sensing elements in view of the poor thermal conductivity characteristics of the thermistor material.

The heat transfer of a thermistor, as with any uniform, essentially homogeneous material, is directly proportional to the driving potential or temperature drop, to the time, to the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the direction of heat flow, and to the specific thermal conductivity of the substance, and is inversely proportional to the thickness of the path. Since the thermistor disk is composed of metallic oxides and is ceramic in nature, its specific thermal conductivity is poor relative to most heatconductors. Therefore for best performance (quick response and low self-heat error) theory demands the maximum surface area and minimum thickness consistent with its electrical resistance and PR heat generation.

These 1 R losses, resulting from the passage of gauging current through the thermistor element, produce an elevation of the temperature of the thermistor and result in an error in the temperature measurement by the magnitude of the temperature drop needed to effect the dissipation of this self-generated heat.

The magnitude of the error can be reduced by increasing the heat dissipating capabilities of each unit of volurne of the thermistor element, and the dissipation of each such unit volume can be improved by improving its proximity to and heat-transfer relationship with a heataccepting surface.

Consequently, the thermistor element is preferably small in thickness relative to its diameter to increase its surface area and to reduce the distance from any central unit volume to the surface of the thermistor element. Secondly, the distance between the thermistor element and a heat-accepting surface is reduced to a minimum, and the thermal conductivity of thatpath is maximized as far as possible commensurate with other requirements of the structure. Finally, the amount of the surface area of the thermistor which is in good heat transfer relation with a heat-accepting surface is also increased as much as possible.

In most prior thermistor-disk temperature sensing arrangements, one face of the thermistor element is placed in heat transfer relation with the probe tip. In such arrangements, if, for example, the total self-heating error of the thermistor is 5 degrees F., that is, if the average temperature of the thermistor element at any equilibrium condition is 5 degrees F. above the actual tip temperature, the temperature of the rear or unquenched surface may be hotter than the tip temperature by twice the amount of the noted error, that is, in the suggested example, degrees F.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the intimacy of the heat transfer relationship between all surfaces of the thermistor element and the tip is increased, with particular emphasis upon establishing an improved heat transfer relationship between the tip and both faces of a relatively thin thermistor element.

To improve the heat transfer relationship between the lower surface (FIGS. 1 and 4) of the thermistor disk 46 and the tip surface 42, the terminal 48 and the washer 52 are both manufactured of metal and are relatively thin, with the washer being constructed so that in its final assembled position it is as nearly flat as possible in order that (in the illustrated construction) the maximum amount of its upper surface will be in engagement with the disk 50 and so that the maximum amount of its lower surface will be in engagement with the surface 42. In practice it has been found that it is possible to construct a spring washer of this nature which is capable of exerting a force of eight to ten pounds while collapsed into a flat position and retain this load up to the maximum temperature occuring during the use of the probe. In this connection, it will be observed, that the insertion of the assembly of FIG. 4 into the slot in the tip (FIG. 3) may and normally will spread the two bifurcations of the tip slightly apart, permitting the washer 52 to be more bowed than desired. However, when the tip assembly is thereafter pressed into the sleeve 12, as facilitated by the presence of the chamfer 32, the two bifurcations of the tip will be pressed back to near parallelism and the washer 52 will be flattened into contact, insuring better heat transfer. This slight flexing of the bifurcations of the tip substantially facilitates the assembly of the elements of FIG. 4 into the tip and permits larger tolerances of the parts than would otherwise be permissible, so the concept of reclamping the bifurcations into parallelism through the use of a pressed-on sleeve 12 is also a significant feature of the present arrangement.

To further increase the heat transfer relationship between the thermistor element and the tip, the insulating disk it? is preferably made as thin as possible commensurate with the minimum requirements for mechanical strength during handling and commensurate with the requisite electrical resistance characteristics. It has been found that with disks of the noted type, a high value of resistance (a megohm or more) can be obtained even though the insulating disk be but a few tenths of a thousandths of an inch in thickness, although, in practice, a disk in the order of five to eight-thousandths of an inch in thickness is preferred for mechanical strength during handling.

Similar considerations apply to the characteristics of the transfer of heat between the edge of the thermistor element 46 and the tip. To this end, the insulating element 6-9 should be as thin as possible commensurate with the mechanical and electrical characteristics which are required.

It will be recognized that by virtue of this construction, a secondary path for heat fiow is established from the second face of the thermistor element 46 t0 the tip 10, materially shortening the response time of the unit and appreciably reducing self-heating error. As an example, if the heat transfer relationship between the lower surface of the thermistor 46 and the tip Ill were the same as the heat transfer relationship between the upper surface of disk 46 and tip 16, the self-heating error would be reduced to about half of that which would exist if only the upper surface were in good heat transfer relation with the tip. Even if the heat transfer relationship between the lower surface of the disk and the tip 10 is not as good as that between the upper surface of the disk and the tip, the magnitude of the self-heating error still can be substantially and appreciably reduced through the practice of these principles.

In the modification of FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8, only the central section of the probe of FIG. 1 is illustrated. The remaining portions of the probe may be similar to that of the probe of FIG. 1.

In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings, an assembly comprising a thermistor disk 46a, a terminal 48a, an insulator 50a and a spring washer 52a is sandwiched between the walls Mia and 42a of the portion 343a of the tip 19a, similar to the arrangement illus trated in FIG. 1 of the drawings. However, each of the aforesaid elements is centrally apertured to accept a rivet which also passes through an aligned hole 102 formed in the portion 3% of tip Mia. The ends of that hole are counterbored to accept the heads 1M and 166 of the rivet.

In the arrangement of FIG. 1, the spring washer 52, for purposes of illustration, is shown substantially bowed. In fact, the spring Washers of the illustrated nature will exert a force even though fully or essentially fully flattened when in place. The quality of the heat transfer path between the lower face of the thermistor element and the wall 42a can be enhanced if the spring washer is so compressed, in place, as to be essentially flat so that an increased area of its upper surface will be brought into good heat transfer relation with the thermistor disk 46a (via the metallic terminal 48a and the extremely thin electrical insulator 50a) and so that an increased area of the lower surface of the spring washer 52a is brought into good heat transfer engagement with the wall 42a. In the arrangement illustrated in FIG. this is accomplished by actually riveting the assembly together with suflicient force being applied during the heating operation to insure that the spring washer 52a is compressed to its flat or essentially flat position.

The rivet 100, of course, should not establish an electrical short circuit between the lower face of the thermistor disk 46a and the tip a and in the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5, this has been accomplished by inserting a thin electrical insulating sleeve 1118 around that portion of the rivet which is adjacent the aperture in the thermistor disk 46a and the terminal 48a. The electrical insulating function could also be accomplished by insulating the rivet 100 from the tip 10a or by providing air insulation between the rivet and the thermistor and terminal.

It will be observed in the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 5 (and similarly in the arrangements of FIGS. 6, 7 and 8) that as a convenience in establishing an electrical connection between the tip 10a and the external electrical circuit a second conductor 109 (additional to conductor 56a) is brought forwardly coaxially of the unit into electrical engagement with the tip 10a, as by welding or soldering, rather than by employing the arrangement of FIG. 1 in which electrical connection is made to the tubular casing 12.

It will be noted that neither the thermistor disk 45a of FIG. 5 nor the thermistor disk 46 of FIG. 1 need necessarily be circular in cross section. For example, a thermistor of square or rectangular cross section can be employed to increase the effective heat dissipating surface area if desired.

In the modification of FIG. 6, a still greater improvement in the heat transfer relationship between thermistor and the tip is achieved by utilizing two thermistor elements 110 and 112 rather than the single thermistor disk 46 employed in FIG. 1. Thermistor element 110 is inserted within the cavity in the tip portion 30b with one of its faces in good thermal and electrical relationship with wall 40b of that cavity whereas the other thermistor element 112 is placed within the cavity with its lower face in good thermal and electrical relationship with the wall 42b. Those good thermal and electrical relationships are illustratively established by placing the faces of the thermistor elements (which preferably and normally are metal-coated) in direct abutment with faces 40b and 42b, respectively, although if desired in this (and the other) case other metallic elements (with parallel or non-parallel faces) could be inserted between the face of the thermistor and the tip.

As in the other modifications previously discussed, the thermistor element, or in this case each thermistor element, is spring biased into intimate heat transfer relationship with the tip by a spring acting against that same tip, as opposed, for example, to an arrangement in which the reactive forces of the spring are exerted through a casing or other such element. In the modification of FIG. 6, the spring 114 is inserted between the two thermistor elements 110 and 112 so that in this case the spring presses each thermistor element into intimate heat trans- 8 fer relationship with the tip by acting between that thermistor element and the tip through the other thermistor. Thus, spring 114 forces the face of thermistor element into intimate heat transfer relation with wall 40b, with the reactive forces being applied against wall 42b via thermistor element 112, and vice-versa.

Spring 114 also serves as an electrical terminal and is in good electrical conductive relationship with that face of thermistor element 110 which is remote from wall 40b and with that face of thermistor 112 which is remote from wall 42b. In the illustrated arrangement, this is accomplished by placing the spring 114 in direct engage ment with those faces. Spring 114 may comprise a spring washer such as spring washer 52, a spring and a pair of plates sandwiched between the two thermistor elements 110 and 112 or otherwise, but in the illustrated arrangement, the spring is a trifurcated spring-metal element illustrated in free position in FIG. 6a. The outer two trifurcations 116 and 118 are bowed in one direction whereas the center trifurcation 120 is bowed in the opposite direction and the distance between Walls 40b and 42b is selected, in the light of the thickness of thermistor elements 110 and 112 so that the spring 114 is compressed when in place.

It will be observed that the thermistor elements 110 and 112 are in parallel both in the electrical circuit and in the thermal circuit. Thus electrical current in conductor 56b flows through the terminal-spring 114, through the thermistor 110 to the tip portion 30b and then returns via conductor 10%, and electrical current in 56b also flows through terminal-spring 114, through thermistor 112 to tip portion 30b and then returns via conductor 10 9b. Cognizance must be taken of this fact either in the selection of the resistive characteristics of the two thermistor elements (which may be viewed as a single, split thermistor) or in the characteristics of the external circuit, or both.

Similarly, the thermistor elements 110 and 112 are effectively in parallel in the thermal circuit. Thus, assuming an equilibrium condition in which t-ip portion 30b has been heated to the temperature of the object the term perature of which is being sensed, the thermistor element 114) will, except at its surface, normally be at a somewhat higher temperature resulting from the self-heating effect of the current flowing through this resistive element. This heat will tend to transfer to the surface of the thermistor (through the relatively poor thermal conductive thermistor material) to the tip portion 30b. Similarly, heat will tend to flow from the interior of thermistor element 112 downwardly (in the illustrated orientation) to the tip portion 30b. There would not normally be any heat transfer from thermistor 110 to thermistor 112 or from thermistor 112 to thermistor 110 since the spring 114 is on the neutral thermal axis. However, if under unusual transient circumstances any temperature differential ex isted between thermistor element 110 and thermistor element 112, heat transfer between those two elements, to establish equilibrium, can relatively readily occur through the thermal conductive element 114.

It will also be observed that if under transient conditions tip portion 10b is hotter than the thermistor elements, heat can flow from portion 10b from each of the thermistor elements 110 and 112 without passing through the other.

The improved heat transfer relationships between the temperature sensing element and the tip achieved in this arrangement accrues from several factors. First, each of the two thermistor portions is illustrated to be considerably thinner than the thermistor disk 46a (FIG. 5) thereby reducing the length of the heat transfer path from the center of each thermistor element 110 or 112 to its face. Second, the sensing thermistor, viewed as a whole, in effect, has both of its two major face surfaces in excellent, direct heat transfer relation with the tip 1012 sothat the quality of the heat transfer relationship between the thermistor, as a whole, and the tip is improved even over that of the arrangements of FIGS. 1 and 5.

The concept of providing improved heat transfer relationship between the thermistor and the tip by forming the thermistor into two elements may also be employed where the thermistor elements are coaxial with the tip, as is illustrated in FIG. 7 of the drawings. In this case, the cavity in the tip portion 300 is formed coaxially with the tip so as to have the end wall 122 extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the tip 190. The two thermistor elements or thermistor element portions 1100 and 1120 are inserted within that cavity with their faces perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tip 100. If the thermistor elements 1100 and 1120 are circular in cross section, then normally the cavity in the tip portion 30c would be circular cylindrical although other shapes for each can well be employed.

The forward face of thermistor element 1100 is placed in good heat transfer relation with the end wall 122, illustratively by direct engagement. Thermistor 1120 is disposed, representatively, in spaced parallelism with element 1100 and trapped therebetween is a spring element 124 of any suitable configuration. The spring element 124 is illustrated as being compressed flat but, as will be perceived, this spring is essentially on the neutral thermal axis so this is not at all important from a thermal standpoint.

The rear face of the thermistor element 1120 is in good heat transfer relation with, and illustratively directly abuts, a metallic plug 126 inserted in the end of the cavity and the tip portion 300 and retained therein either by staking, Welding, force fitting, screwing, or otherwise. The functions of element 126 may be accomplished by distorting the rear end of the tip portion 30c with or without additional plate between that reflective portion and the rear face thermistor element 1120, but the weight of advantage is believed to lie with the illustrated arrangement.

The rear face of thermistor element 1120 is in excellent heat transfer relation with the metallic plug which is in turn in excellent :heat transfer relation with tip portion Silc. As a result an excellent heat fiow path is established from thermistor element 112c to tip 3110 through the plug 1260 just as an excellent heat transfer relationship exists between thermistor element 1160 and end Wall 122. Again, spring 124 acts between each of the thermistor elements and the tip, in each case through the other thermistor element.

In this arrangement, the spring element 124 also is shown to serve as the electrical terminal connection to conductor 1090, that conductor passing through a central aperture in thermistor element 112c. The edges of the two thermist-ors and of the spring 124 are insulated from the tip portion 300 by means of an insulator 128.

If desired, the cavity in tip 300 would extend perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tip 100 with the elements in that cavity still occupying the same relative positions illustrated to the cavity walls. The electrical conductors 1090 could then extend through a short groove or channel formed along the outer edge of tip portion 300.

The embodiment of FIG. 8 is or may be identical to the embodiment of FIG. 1 except that in order to illustrate that the wall portions 40d and 42d need not be exactly parallel either with one another or with the two faces of the thermistor disk 46d, the arrangement has been modified so that the lower wall 42b slopes. A tapered metallic wedge or shim 136 is then inserted such as between the wall 42d and the spring washer 520.. This arrangement has an advantage over that of FIG. 1 in that by varying the extent of the insertion of the shim, the magnitude of the force exerted by and the degree of flattening of the spring washer 52d may be controlled during assembly.

It will be noted that in each of the modifications shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the casing may clamp the projecting leg portions of the tip portion 30b or 30d towards the thermistor if desired, as discussed in connection with FIG. 1.

While it will be apparent that the embodiments of the invention herein disclosed are well calculated to fulfill the objects of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A current modulating temperature sensing device comprising a metallic tip having a cavity therein defined by walls, and two substantially coaxial sensing elements in said cavity each having a first face disposed in intimate heat transfer relation with a wall of said cavity and disposed relatively remotely from said first face of the other one of said sensing elements, each of said sensing elements having a second face disposed proximate the second face of the other one of said sensing elements.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said faces are in intimate heat transfer relation with different ones of said walls.

3. The combination of claim 1 further including spring means for resiliently biasing said sensing elements into said intimate heat transfer relation with a wall of said cavity and in which said spring means exerts its force between each said sensing element and another Wall of said cavity.

4. The combination of claim 1 further including spring means for resiliently biasing said sensing elements into said intimate heat transfer relation with a wall of said cavity and in which said spring means exerts its force between each said sensing element and another wall of said cavity through the other one of said sensing elements.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said sensing elements are ceramic-type thermistor elements each having an other face, said other face of each sensing element being disposed in proximity to said other face of the other sensing element.

6. The combination of claim 5 further including electrical connector means disposed between said sensing elements and in electrical engagement with said other faces.

'7. The combination of claim 1 in which two of said walls are on opposite sides of said cavity and in which said faces are in intimate heat transfer relation with respective ones of said two walls.

8. The combination of claim 7 in which one of said two walls is a separate element secured to said tip.

9. The combination of claim '7 in which each of said sensing elements has a second opposing face and further including spring means acting between said second faces.

10. A current modulating temperature sensing system comprising a senser assembly having a metallic element having a face portion adapted to be disposed in intimate heat transfer relation with a mass, two substantially coaxial temperature sensing elements each having a high temperature coeflicient of resistance and each a first face in intimate heat transfer relation with said metallic element, each of said temperature sensing elements also having a second face substantially parallel with said first face, said first faces of said temperature sensing elements facing in opposite directions, said second faces of said temperature sensing elements facing toward one another, and means for connecting said sensing elements in a common electrical circuit.

11. The combination of claim 10 in which said sensing elements are electrically connected directly in parallel with one another.

12. The combination of claim 10 in which said sensing elements are ceramic-type thermistor elements each having one face in intimate heat transfer relation with said metallic element and each having an other face, and in which said other faces are disposed in spaced proximity with one another.

13. The combination of claim 12 further including spring means disposed between said other faces and urging both of said sensing elements towards said metallic element.

14. A current modulating temperature sensing device comprising a metallic tip having a cavity therein defined by walls, and two sensing elements in said cavity each having a face disposed in intimate heat transfer relation with a wall of said cavity, spring means for resiliently biasing said sensing elements into said intimate heat transfer relation with a wall of said cavity, said spring means exerting its force between each said sensing element and 12 another wall of said cavity through the other one of said sensing elements.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,606,986 8/1952 Sweger 20163 3,175,178 3/1965 Boddy 33828 FOREIGN PATENTS 772,266 4/ 1957 Great Britain.

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Primary Examiner.

DONN MCGIEHAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CURRENT MODULATING TEMPERATURE SENSING DEVICE COMPRISING A METALLIC TIP HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN DEFINED BY WALLS, AND TWO SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL SENSING ELEMENTS IN SAID CAVITY EACH HAVING A FIRST FACE DISPOSED IN INTIMATE HEAT TRANSFER RELATION WITH A WALL OF SAID CAVITY AND DISPOSED RELATIVELY REMOTELY FROM SAID FIRST FACE OF THE OTHER ONE OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS, EACH OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS HAVING A SECOND FACE DISPOSED PROXIMATE THE SECOND FACE OF THE OTHER ONE OF SAID SENSING ELEMENTS. 